the golden bough-第261章

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ld；　is　in　no　way　foreign　to　South　African　thought。　A　man's　soul　there　may　dwell　in　the　roof　of　his　house；　in　a　tree；　by　a　spring　of　water；　or　on　some　mountain　scaur。　Among　the　natives　of　the　Gazelle　Peninsula　in　New　Britain　there　is　a　secret　society　which　goes　by　the　name　of　Ingniet　or　Ingiet。　On　his　entrance　into　it　every　man　receives　a　stone　in　the　shape　either　of　a　human　being　or　of　an　animal；　and　henceforth　his　soul　is　believed　to　be　knit　up　in　a　manner　with　the　stone。　If　it　breaks；　it　is　an　evil　omen　for　him；　they　say　that　the　thunder　has　struck　the　stone　and　that　he　who　owns　it　will　soon　die。　If　nevertheless　the　man　survives　the　breaking　of　his　soul…stone；　they　say　that　it　was　not　a　proper　soul…stone　and　he　gets　a　new　one　instead。　The　emperor　Romanus　Lecapenus　was　once　informed　by　an　astronomer　that　the　life　of　Simeon；　prince　of　Bulgaria；　was　bound　up　with　a　certain　column　in　Constantinople；　so　that　if　the　capital　of　the　column　were　removed；　Simeon　would　immediately　die。　The　emperor　took　the　hint　and　removed　the　capital；　and　at　the　same　hour；　as　the　emperor　learned　by　enquiry；　Simeon　died　of　heart　disease　in　Bulgaria。

Again；　we　have　seen　that　in　folk…tales　a　man's　soul　or　strength　is　sometimes　represented　as　bound　up　with　his　hair；　and　that　when　his　hair　is　cut　off　he　dies　or　grows　weak。　So　the　natives　of　Amboyna　used　to　think　that　their　strength　was　in　their　hair　and　would　desert　them　if　it　were　shorn。　A　criminal　under　torture　in　a　Dutch　Court　of　that　island　persisted　in　denying　his　guilt　till　his　hair　was　cut　off；　when　he　immediately　confessed。　One　man；　who　was　tried　for　murder；　endured　without　flinching　the　utmost　ingenuity　of　his　torturers　till　he　saw　the　surgeon　standing　with　a　pair　of　shears。　On　asking　what　this　was　for；　and　being　told　that　it　was　to　cut　his　hair；　he　begged　they　would　not　do　it；　and　made　a　clean　breast。　In　subsequent　cases；　when　torture　failed　to　wring　a　confession　from　a　prisoner；　the　Dutch　authorities　made　a　practice　of　cutting　off　his　hair。

Here　in　Europe　it　used　to　be　thought　that　the　maleficent　powers　of　witches　and　wizards　resided　in　their　hair；　and　that　nothing　could　make　any　impression　on　the　miscreants　so　long　as　they　kept　their　hair　on。　Hence　in　France　it　was　customary　to　shave　the　whole　bodies　of　persons　charged　with　sorcery　before　handing　them　over　to　the　torturer。　Millaeus　witnessed　the　torture　of　some　persons　at　Toulouse；　from　whom　no　confession　could　be　wrung　until　they　were　stripped　and　completely　shaven；　when　they　readily　acknowledged　the　truth　of　the　charge。　A　woman　also；　who　apparently　led　a　pious　life；　was　put　to　the　torture　on　suspicion　of　witchcraft；　and　bore　her　agonies　with　incredible　constancy；　until　complete　depilation　drove　her　to　admit　her　guilt。　The　noted　inquisitor　Sprenger　contented　himself　with　shaving　the　head　of　the　suspected　witch　or　wizard；　but　his　more　thoroughgoing　colleague　Cumanus　shaved　the　whole　bodies　of　forty…seven　women　before　committing　them　all　to　the　flames。　He　had　high　authority　for　this　rigorous　scrutiny；　since　Satan　himself；　in　a　sermon　preached　from　the　pulpit　of　North　Berwick　church；　comforted　his　many　servants　by　assuring　them　that　no　harm　could　befall　them　sa　lang　as　their　hair　wes　on；　and　sould　newir　latt　ane　teir　fall　fra　thair　ene。　Similarly　in　Bastar；　a　province　of　India；　if　a　man　is　adjudged　guilty　of　witchcraft；　he　is　beaten　by　the　crowd；　his　hair　is　shaved；　the　hair　being　supposed　to　constitute　his　power　of　mischief；　his　front　teeth　are　knocked　out；　in　order；　it　is　said；　to　prevent　him　from　muttering　incantations　。　Women　suspected　of　sorcery　have　to　undergo　the　same　ordeal；　if　found　guilty；　the　same　punishment　is　awarded；　and　after　being　shaved；　their　hair　is　attached　to　a　tree　in　some　public　place。　So　among　the　Bhils　of　India；　when　a　woman　was　convicted　of　witchcraft　and　had　been　subjected　to　various　forms　of　persuasion；　such　as　hanging　head　downwards　from　a　tree　and　having　pepper　put　into　her　eyes；　a　lock　of　hair　was　cut　from　her　head　and　buried　in　the　ground；　that　the　last　link　between　her　and　her　former　powers　of　mischief　might　be　broken。　In　like　manner　among　the　Aztecs　of　Mexico；　when　wizards　and　witches　had　done　their　evil　deeds；　and　the　time　came　to　put　an　end　to　their　detestable　life；　some　one　laid　hold　of　them　and　cropped　the　hair　on　the　crown　of　their　heads；　which　took　from　them　all　their　power　of　sorcery　and　enchantment；　and　then　it　was　that　by　death　they　put　an　end　to　their　odious　existence。

2。　The　External　Soul　in　Plants

FURTHER　it　has　been　shown　that　in　folk…tales　the　life　of　a　person　is　sometimes　so　bound　up　with　the　life　of　a　plant　that　the　withering　of　the　plant　will　immediately　follow　or　be　followed　by　the　death　of　the　person。　Among　the　M'Bengas　in　Western　Africa；　about　the　Gaboon；　when　two　children　are　born　on　the　same　day；　the　people　plant　two　trees　of　the　same　kind　and　dance　round　them。　The　life　of　each　of　the　children　is　believed　to　be　bound　up　with　the　life　of　one　of　the　trees；　and　if　the　tree　dies　or　is　thrown　down；　they　are　sure　that　the　child　will　soon　die。　In　the　Cameroons；　also；　the　life　of　a　person　is　believed　to　be　sympathetically　bound　up　with　that　of　a　tree。　The　chief　of　Old　Town　in　Calabar　kept　his　soul　in　a　sacred　grove　near　a　spring　of　water。　When　some　Europeans；　in　frolic　or　ignorance；　cut　down　part　of　the　grove；　the　spirit　was　most　indignant　and　threatened　the　perpetrators　of　the　deed；　according　to　the　king；　with　all　manner　of　evil。

Some　of　the　Papuans　unite　the　life　of　a　new…born　babe　sympathetically　with　that　of　a　tree　by　driving　a　pebble　into　the　bark　of　the　tree。　This　is　supposed　to　give　them　complete　mastery　over　the　child's　life；　if　the　tree　is　cut　down；　the　child　will　die。　After　a　birth　the　Maoris　used　to　bury　the　navel…string　in　a　sacred　place　and　plant　a　young　sapling　over　it。　As　the　tree　grew；　it　was　a　tohu　oranga　or　sign　of　life　for　the　child；　if　it　flourished；　the　child　would　prosper；　if　it　withered　and　died；　the　parents　augured　the　worst　for　the　little　one。　In　some　parts　of　Fiji　the　navel…string　of　a　male　infant　is　planted　together　with　a　coco…nut　or　the　slip　of　a　breadfruit…tree；　and　the　child's　life　is　supposed　to　be　intimately　connected　with　that　of　the　tree。　Amongst　the　Dyaks　of　Landak　and　Tajan；　districts　of　Dutch　Borneo；　it　is　customary　to　plant　a　fruit…tree　for　a　baby；　and　henceforth　in　the　popular　belief　the　fate　of　the　child　is　bound　up　with　that　of　the　tree。　If　the　tree　shoots　up　rapidly；　it　will　go　well　with　the　child；　but　if　the　tree　is　dwarfed　or　shrivelled；　nothing　but　misfortune　can　be　expected　for　its　human　counterpart。

It　is　said　that　there　are　still　families　in　Russia；　Germany；　England；　France；　and　Italy　who　are　accustomed　to　plant　a　tree　at　the　birth　of　a　child。　The　tree；　it　is　hoped；　will　grow　with　the　child；　and　it　is　tended　with　special　care。　The　custom　is　still　pretty　general　in　the　canton　of　Aargau　in　Switzerland；　an　apple…tree　is　planted　for　a　boy　and　a　pear…tree　for　a　girl；　and　the　people　think　that　the　child　will　flourish　or　dwindle　with　the　tree。　In　Mecklenburg　the　afterbirth　is　thrown　out　at　the　foot　of　a　young　tree；　and　the　child　is　then　believed　to　grow　with　the　tree。　Near　the　Castle　of　Dalhousie；　not　far　from　Edinburgh；　there　grows　an　oak…tree；　called　the　Edgewell　Tree；　which　is　popularly　believed　to　be　linked　to　the　fate　of　the　family　by　a　mysterious　tie；　for　they　say　that　when　one　of　the　family　dies；　or　is　about　to　die；　a　branch　falls　from　the　Edgewell　Tree。　Thus；　on　seeing　a　great　bough　drop　from　the　tree　on　a　quiet；　still　day　in　July　1874；　an　old　forester　exclaimed；　The　laird's　deid　noo！　and　soon　after　news　came　that　Fox　Maule；　eleventh　Earl　of　Dalhousie；　was　dead。

In　England　children　are　sometimes　passed　through　a　cleft　ash…tree　as　a　cure　for　rupture　or　rickets；　and　thenceforward　a　sympathetic　connexion　is　supposed　to　exist　between　them　and　the　tree。　An　ash…tree　which　had　been　used　for　this　purpose　grew　at　the　edge　of　Shirley　Heath；　on　the　road　from　Hockly　House　to　Birmingham。　Thomas　Chillingworth；　son　of　the　owner　of　an　adjoining　farm；　now　about　thirty…four；　was；　when　an　infant　of　a　year　old；　passed　through　a　similar　tree；　now　perfectly　sound；　which　he　preserves　with　so　much　care　that　he　will　not　suffer　a　single　branch　to　be　touched；　for